


people say (we're so weird)

by sayounarahitori



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friendship, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22434001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayounarahitori/pseuds/sayounarahitori
Summary: In which some WayV members know more than they'd like, some know less, and nobody has a crush on Ten, okay.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 53
Kudos: 484
Collections: In Every Lifetime: A KunTen Fan Week, WIP OLYMPICS: WINTER 2019/20





	people say (we're so weird)

**Author's Note:**

> written for kunten week 2020, day 2: family!
> 
> my biggest thanks to [doyoubuns](https://twitter.com/doyoubuns) for all her help and basically planning out two of the scenes with me!!
> 
> title from red velvet's psycho.

1.

“Anything you want to tell me?” Sicheng finally asks, fed up with the silence hanging around his room ever since Ten unceremoniously stormed in, lay on Sicheng’s own bed and then proceeded to not say a single word.

“Nope,” comes the reply, muffled slightly by the pillow.

Dear god.

“So it’s like that,” Sicheng mutters, more to himself than to Ten.

Ten turns over, lying on his back now, and stares up at the ceiling.

It’s not that Sicheng doesn’t want to help him with whatever Ten is dealing with – and he has a pretty good feeling he knows what it is, too, – but why does Ten always have to make it so difficult?

“What do you want me to say? Even I don’t know what’s wrong,” Ten huffs.

Sicheng shrugs and reaches for the bag of chips he previously abandoned at Ten’s arrival.

 _I don’t want you to say anything? You are the one who randomly showed up?_ he wants to say, but well, they do sort of have that routine where they just… help each other, whatever the issue is, however they can.

“What do you want to say?” he asks instead, and then decides to prod a little. “You’ve been restless lately.”

Ten lets out the most exaggerated sigh. “Well, debuting again is not a walk in the park, as I’m sure _you_ know.”

Sicheng throws a chip at him. Ten, annoyingly, manages to catch it with his mouth.

“You know it’s not that,” Sicheng says when Ten doesn’t seem inclined to add anything else.

“It’s just… a lot. You know.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Sicheng replies honestly, wondering how frank he should be, whether Ten is ready to talk it out for real. “I think it’s mostly just one thing on your mind.”

Ten throws him a glare, and, well, he hasn’t stormed off completely yet, so Sicheng considers it a win. A win-win. Hah.

Not that he particularly desires to drag Ten’s _feelings_ out of him, but there’s really no other way to solve this.

“One person,” Sicheng adds.

“Do you really want to talk about this?” Ten asks and Sicheng just stares at him – Ten is aware he is the one who came in and started this conversation, right? He has to be, right?

“Do you?” he throws back at him. “You know, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

And he doesn’t. Relationships can be weird, true, and Sicheng knows very well how feelings complicate things sometimes. But Kun and Ten, the thing is — Sicheng trusts them both. And seeing them together… he doesn’t think it would be that bad, to let something happen.

Ten laughs without any humour in it. “Don’t even try to console me.”

“I’m not—”

“I don’t need consoling.”

“I’m not trying to console you!” Sicheng raises his voice slightly, starting to get a headache. “Why would you need to be consoled? I don’t think your feelings are one-sided, if you’re worried about that.”

He reaches out the bag of chips to Ten, which the other grabs with a huff.

"There's nothing happening. So nothing is one-sided. Don't be stupid, Sicheng."

 _God._ Really, every talk with Ten about his feelings feels like going through a meat grinder just to get honesty out of him, but this is some kind of new low.

"You're the one being stupid. What are you so afraid of?"

Ten whirs up. Sicheng answers his stare with his own. Ten can't possible think he can beat Sicheng at blinking game, can he?

Ten turns away first. Sicheng deserves some kind of award for putting up with this.

"I don't believe you're unable to see what I am seeing,” he says, patient. “He pays attention to you, moreso than anyone else."

"Yeah, right," Ten rolls his eyes. "Because I'm annoying the fuck out of him."

It's actually ridiculous how good Ten already is at arguing in Mandarin. Sicheng never felt comfortable having discussions of any kind of importance in Korean.

"I think he likes it."

"Even if he does!" Ten is loud now, clearly aggravated. "He just thinks of me as his annoying little brother."

Sicheng rolls his eyes. "No, he doesn't."

“Yes, he does.” Ten groans. “Nothing else is worth even thinking about.”

“You do realise you’re still thinking about it, though?”

“I’m gonna kick you.”

“Okay,” Sicheng says. It really doesn’t take much to get Ten to resort to threats these days. “I’m taking my chips back first.”

“I shouldn’t be eating those anyway, ugh.” Ten puts the chip in his hand back into the pack. Sicheng is mildly disgusted, but he takes the bag nevertheless. “Kun says it screws my appetite.”

“He says that, huh.”

“Shut up!”

"Very obedient of you."

Ten shoots up from Sicheng’s bed and storms off without a word.

Sicheng sighs.

He isn’t going to do anything about it — that’s just not what he does. He isn’t going to initiate more conversations Ten doesn’t ask for, or god forbid, talk to Kun or other members. He guesses that’s probably why Ten trusts him with the tender parts of his heart.

Sicheng isn’t going to betray that trust, but well… if he leaves Ten alone with Kun at some convenient moments, no one needs to know. If he looks at Ten meaningfully sometimes after catching Kun’s gaze lingering, if he comforts Ten when he comes to him again and doesn’t say anything… it’s fine. It’s not much.

2.

So Kun has been acting a bit weird lately. Kun is weird in general, but ever since they have started rooming together, Yangyang finds himself paying an uncomfortable amount of attention to their leader’s moods. Maybe it was inevitable. The thing is, Kun is just so stable and calm most of the time that you’d need to pay close attention to understand the minute changes. Yangyang prides himself in being the master of them, now.

There’s a slight tension in his brow whenever he’s worried about their schedule or one of the members training too much, and an upset tilt to his mouth when he’s concerned with something personal; he starts tapping his leg a bit when he’s excited and anticipating something, but can stay very quiet when he’s actually happy.

He knows, though, what always gets the rise of him — well, who, rather. So there’s hardly any doubt about who could be the cause of Kun’s latest breakdown when he storms into their room in clear distress.

“Ge?”

Kun stares at him, and Yangyang is maybe not so sure about what has happened. He’s never seen Kun quite like this — he’s, like, in shock, and he doesn’t look angry at all, but rather really, actually… scared? Kun is never scared. Even when they had to do the bungee jumping for Dream Plan just a while ago, or there was possibility of interacting with frogs, Kun kept his calm.

“What’s wrong?” Yangyang asks, a little worried now.

Kun just looks at him, eyes wild.

“I think I want to kiss Ten,” he says.

O...kay.

So that’s the farthest thing Yangyang expected, maybe. On several levels, too, and he’s not sure if he’s more confused by the fact that Kun is into Ten like that, or by the fact that Kun is telling _him_ that.

He also looks like he may have _just_ figured that out, which, well, maybe explains why he’s talking to Yangyang. Wait, is he even aware that he’s talking to Yangyang?

“Um, I, well!” Yangyang says when he realises that Kun is just staring at him as if Yangyang actually has a good answer to his, uh, statement. “That’s okay!”

?????

Yeah, that was a great response, thank you, Yangyang.

“What about what I just said is even remotely okay?” Kun asks, sounding kinda choked up.

Yangyang desperately searches through his brain for something to say, anything. Quick, he thinks, Kun needs you. He came to you with this very important question. This is absolutely vital in building a good relationship with your older brother. You can do this.

“I don’t think any differently of you!” Yangyang blurts out and immediately curses himself. What, just… just what?

Kun looks a bit placated, though.

“Thank you. I guess,” he says slowly. “But you should understand, it’s… I can’t even…” he looks one second from starting to tear his hair out, and Yangyang is getting worried again.

“Is it because he’s a boy?” Yangyang prods gently. “Or because he’s… well, Ten?”

Kun looks a bit horrified, and Yangyang wonders if he somehow managed to make things worse.

“I don’t know? Both? I don’t know what to even start thinking!” Kun is pacing the room now, and Yangyang has definitely never seen him like this. “How long has this been going on? What if I just haven’t noticed, what if I have been acting weird around him? What if he knows? What if he will find out somehow? He’s— I can’t—”

“Oh my god,” Yangyang says in English, which luckily makes Kun stop his terrified monologue. “Ge, why are you acting like a teenager with a first crush? Calm down!”

“Because it is my first crush? Oh god, I just said the word crush. I don’t have a crush, I can’t—”

Yangyang stares at him.

“What!” Kun exclaims, looking a bit pink.

“Your first crush?” Yangyang repeats, incredulously.

“Not a crush,” Kun wails, dropping to sit on the bed. “And it’s not my first… something, but I’ve never… I always thought— I never— it has never been like this,” he ends the sentence in a whisper. Yangyang plops down on his own bed, trying to appear as friendly as possible. He waits for Kun to start speaking again, though, instead of trying to offer any more insight.

“I never wanted to act on it,” Kun finally says. “Like, there have been times I was… interested in someone, but it was always like, wanting to be closer, and, and getting to know them more, but I’ve always been able to push it away if need be. It was never something that I wanted more than, than… singing, or performing, or making music.” He stares off, gaze unfocused. “And I never wanted— never wished for things I couldn’t have.”

Yangyang finds himself listening closely, literally on the edge of his seat for Kun’s words. It’s fascinating — a glimpse so deep into another’s way of being.

Kun continues, as if having forgotten Yangyang is even there.

“It was just like… fuzzy feelings. Appreciating someone, enjoying someone’s company. Never something I had to worry about affecting— anything. And it was always easy. With Ten—” Kun snaps his mouth shut, as if afraid that Ten’s name alone will make him appear in this very room. His gaze finally lands on Yangyang again. “Oh god, I can’t believe I just told you all of this. You have to forget it immediately.”

Yangyang can hardly believe it either, but a moment like this… he won’t look a gift horse in its mouth.

"Maybe it's like… maybe it will pass?" Yangyang suggests hesitantly, even as he's pretty sure this is not the case here. "Like, he's pretty. Of course. Who hasn't had a crush or two on him? You could do worse for your first!"

Kun’s jaw drops down, and his eyes look ridiculously big behind the glasses. "You had a crush on Ten?"

Yangyang sputters. “Not me! A-and anyway, this is about you, ge!”

Kun is definitely not buying anything he’s saying, so Yangyang continues quickly.

“I’m just saying, you don’t need to be that… torn up? Maybe it’s a fleeting thought, and it will… go away with time...” he trails off, realising even as he’s saying the words that he himself doesn’t believe it.

It’s Kun. Whatever kind of feelings he has — and Yangyang definitely doesn’t want to think about his Kun-ge having intimate feelings for Ten-ge, but what do you know, he’s been thinking about it for like probably half an hour already — he really doubts it will be that easy to get rid of them.

“Yeah,” Kun finishes for him.

They sit like that.

“I’m not gonna… tell him, or anything,” Kun says suddenly. “If you were worried.”

What the fuck?

“I wasn’t,” Yangyang says, and then has a quick insight. “Are you gonna talk about how you would ruin the group by that? Because please save that for someone else.”

Kun glares at him, but hah, joke’s on him, Yangyang has a whole family of glarers and Kun’s got _nothing_ on his mom.

And Yangyang wasn’t really considering Kun would tell Ten, but thinking about it now, he’s not actually sure what Ten’s reaction would be. Something occurs to him then.

“Please don’t mistake me for being interested,” he says slowly, “but how exactly did the realisation come by?”

“Ughhh,” Kun groans. “He was… being dumb.”

“Being Ten.”

“Yes. He was getting on my nerves, as usual—”

“Except now we know he doesn’t actually get on your nerves and you just want him to get on your—”

“Yangyang!” Kun yells, and Yangyang smiles a small pleased smile. “Anyway, right, I was… saying. He was… we were playing around — don’t make that face! — and he was like… doing those pretend kissy faces, pursing his lips, and I… I realised I…” Kun hangs his head down. It would be cute if it wasn’t so pathetic.

“You do realise he’s Ten?”

“If you’re just going to—”

“If he was doing that, chances are, he also wants to kiss you.”

“What?” Kun squeaks, and wow, Yangyang didn’t know he could do that. “You’re joking, right?”

Yangyang groans.

“You just said it— he’s _Ten_. He would never… I can’t even— ugh, why did you even say that!” Kun squeezes his eyes closed. “This is too ridiculous even for you.”

God, this is so… Yangyang wants to tease him so much, but there’s also something horrifyingly like _tenderness_ at the way Kun is vehemently denying the mere possibility of Ten reciprocating his feelings.

Ugh, _feelings_.

“I’m not gonna try to prove anything to you,” Yangyang mercifully says instead of a million jokes swimming around in his mind. “Feel free to suffer as much as you want.”

“Thank you,” Kun says tightly and falls onto his back.

Yangyang follows his example.

They lie like that, in their respective beds, thinking their respective thoughts. After a while, Kun speaks.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Yangyang is genuinely puzzled.

“Understanding? Not judging? Not being disgusted?”

“I mean, yeah, a little disgusted,” Yangyang clarifies. “It’s Ten. Like. _Yikes_.”

“Yikes,” Kun agrees.

Mentally, Yangyang gives himself 7 out of 10 for relationship building. Good effort. Mediocre execution. Surprisingly good results.

Or, well. Results… still in progress. Depending on how he plays this, he might help more than Kun can even imagine. _Then_ he’ll definitely be Kun’s favorite didi.

Yeah, Yangyang’s got this.

3.

Yukhei wakes up to a fairly quiet room and doesn't immediately realise where he is — okay, a hotel room — or why he's suddenly awake, but then there is shuffling and quiet voice from the other bed. Ten?

"No, Xuxi's sleeping," he hears him whisper. Huh?

"I will," Ten says next, followed by a beleaguered sigh. "Stop nagging. I caught a nap earlier." He's quiet for a bit, and then says, "Maybe I wanted to surprise you."

God, Ten sounds… flirty? Why is he flirting with whoever it is on the other end of the line in the middle of the night? Yukhei doesn't even know what time it is.

"Shut up," Ten hisses, only to dissolve into giggles immediately after.

"Ah, I wish I could've seen your face. Tell Yangyangie to get a photo. Oh, please!"

Huh. So it's someone from the group. Yukhei has a nagging suspicion at this point, which gets confirmed when the next words out of Ten are, "Awww, is he bullying you again? I should thank him for taking up my mantel while I can't perform my solemn duty."

The shouting from the other side is loud enough that Yukhei can very faintly catch the gist of it. He suppresses a giggle of his own.

At this point he's a bit tempted to throw off the covers and stomp over to Ten's bed and demand he let him in on the call, but something stops him, and then—

" _You_ should catch more sleep, gege," Ten says suddenly, his voice impossibly soft. Oh god, what the hell?

No, Yukhei, be reasonable. Ten could just be teasing Kun, they all do that all the time, it doesn't have to mean anything, he just—

"Don't say that," Ten whispers. "I'll be back soon. I—" he stops and is silent for a couple moments.

Then: "I have to go, Kun," he hears, and Ten sounds so different, tight and desperate, it's making Yukhei's head spin.

There's silence. Yukhei is trying not to breathe too loudly. His head is whirring.

"Fuck," he hears Ten swear, and then there's the sound of footsteps and bathroom door closing.

In the sudden quiet, with a muted sound of running water in the background, Yukhei thinks.

He is not really sure why the realisation hits him so suddenly or so hard. Truly, it could be nothing, but Ten's voice, his weird reaction, the fact that they talked while Ten should have been long asleep… It makes the wheels spin in Yukhei's head.

He thinks back, remembers.

The way he sees them curled up together on the couch sometimes when he wakes up too early, the way Kun always waits for them when they come back from their SuperM schedules, the hours they spend sometimes in Kun’s studio together — all of it fairly innocent and normal, but in context, it makes Yukhei wonder.

How long has this been going on? Has there been something between Kun and Ten before WayV was formed? Yukhei doesn't like to pry, but he's curious now, spurred on by the bits of conversation he caught.

So in the next few days, he starts a little investigation. He starts off by asking Taeyong if he thinks Ten is interested in someone, which backfires spectacularly when Taeyong assumes Yukhei is _interested_ in Ten. Which, no. Well, maybe, sometimes, he looked and wondered, but — no. No.

When Yukhei stumbles over his words and tries to explain that it's "for a friend", Taeyong just sends him a pitying look and brings him takeout the next day, so maybe it hasn't backfired that much, even though now his hyung thinks Yukhei has a crush on Ten.

The next thing he does is text Hendery. It should have been his first course of action, really. Hendery has _never_ failed him. Wong brothers and all that.

> **lucas**  
>  do you think something is going on between kun-ge and ten-ge?
> 
> **hendery**  
>  what do you mean, going on?? 🤨🤨🤨
> 
> **hendery**  
>  they're not having a fight right?
> 
> **hendery**  
>  i thought ten would tell me if they were 😣
> 
> **lucas**  
>  no bro it's worse
> 
> **lucas**  
>  uh sorry not WORSE just like…
> 
> **hendery**  
>  WHAT
> 
> **lucas**  
>  like, they're into each other. or at least ten is?? into kun? but uh im pretty sure they're both uh yeah
> 
> **hendery**  
>  first question, yukhei. HOW did you find out or do i not wanna know ???
> 
> **lucas**  
>  whatever you're imagining, don't!! i just overheard ten talking and uhh maybe i assumed but i have a FEELING okay. i trust my guts
> 
> **hendery**  
>  🤨🤨🤨
> 
> **lucas**  
>  don't you trust my guts??
> 
> **hendery**  
>  i mean… i guess but it's just so. weird to think about.
> 
> **hendery**  
>  also I don't like to gossip 😩
> 
> **lucas**  
>  liar
> 
> **lucas**  
>  and wait you don't mean like… weird as in bad…
> 
> **hendery**  
>  no?? i kinda thought you were maybe weirded out tho
> 
> **lucas**  
>  nonono. dude. I'm okay, it's just like… how long have we been ignoring this happening
> 
> **hendery**  
>  you're jumping to conclusions tho? it might be nothing
> 
> **hendery**  
>  what did u hear?
> 
> **lucas**  
>  UHHH it's private i think?? i don't know…. sorry 😣
> 
> **hendery**  
>  fine fine. I'll uh… look into it. maybe. no promises tho
> 
> **lucas**  
>  👍👍👍 you're the best

Conversation puts him at ease, somehow, even if Hendery doesn't fully believe him. They're in this together, after all.

And to be honest, he almost forgets all about it during the next week. There's concerts, and hanging out with his cool hyungs, and maybe Taeyong still looks at him a bit weird, but whatever. There's no helping it.

But then they're out shopping one day and Lucas is wandering the giant supermarket quite senselessly until he almost literally stumbles into Ten who has some package in his hands.

"Fruit tarts?" Yukhei exclaims without thinking.

"Quieter, will you?" Ten huffs, clutching the article closer to his chest as if afraid that Yukhei will try to lay claim to it.

"Sorry, sorry… Uh, who is it for?" he asks, curiosity piqued.

"No one? Why do you think— it's no one!" Ten might be actually squishing the poor tarts now. Honestly, Yukhei didn't mean to be intrusive, but seeing Ten going all defensive makes him even more interested.

"Who iiiiiis it? C'mon, they look good…"

Ten laughs. "He will probably let you try it," he says, and then his eyes widen.

"Oh? Who?" Yukhei demands, grabbing Ten. "C'mon, dude!"

"Aaaaa," Ten wails. "Let me go! It's for Kun, you know, to fatten him up!" He smirks and pats his stomach, but Yukhei… Yukhei is questioning why he even asked in the first place.

“Ah, right,” he says meekly, remembering everything that happened last week. So, yeah, something’s going on — but it’s not like Yukhei is gonna find anything out on his own, and he won’t even try confronting Ten (or Kun) directly. He still values his life. Best abandon it now, or maybe just leave for later.

Ten throws him a suspicious glare, and Yukhei replies with a dumb smile. Ten visibly relaxes.

Yeah, always works.

4.

Hendery isn’t sure how he got so involved. Looking back, though, maybe his fate was sealed the moment he listened to Lucas. The moment he became close friends with Ten. The moment it was decided he would join the new group.

The thing is, after Yukhei so masterfully put the idea of Kun and Ten together into his brain, he tried his best ignoring it. It was easy, at first, with Ten being all the way across the world, and Kun just… well. Being Kun. It’s when their two stray brothers come back that the issue rises back full force. Suddenly, all he can see is Ten getting into Kun’s space all the time, and how different, more energised Kun seems to be now, and how soft and attentive they’re being, and oh, damn.

It’s not that he minds, he just— he just doesn’t like to assume things, okay? He would never ever do something like this, but… there have been late night conversations with Ten that helped him gain perspective on things, to be less afraid, to know someone would always have his back. And Ten has been frank with him, and — maybe that’s why. He knows Ten, and that’s why he can’t believe that he missed something this big, that Ten never told him… anything. Like, anything at all about this.

He tries making excuses in his mind — there was no time, they were all busy, Ten was abroad, — but they all fall flat when he _knows_ he can’t shake off the upset feeling.

So of course it’s just a question of time before Kun catches him alone after dance practice on day, pours him tea and sits across him at the table like a concerned parent.

“What’s wrong?” he asks seriously. Hendery is silent, so Kun sighs and says, “Spill.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Hendery replies stubbornly, even as he knows it’s futile.

“Why do you wanna make this so difficult!” Kun complains, kicking him in the shins lightly. “I’ve noticed how tense you are. You’re avoiding me. But mostly Ten, and he’s upset.”

“Then why isn’t he the one talking to me?” Hendery asks, unable to help himself.

“You know why,” Kun sighs. “He’d much rather be all weird about it. Come on, drink.”

Hendery chews on his lip, but drinks the tea. It’s good, ideal temperature, just a hint of sweetness, perfect like Kun always makes it. He stares at his hands and speaks.

“I just wish you’d told me,” he mumbles.

“What?” Kun sounds confused.

“I just wish you had told me!” Hendery repeats.

“About what?”

“Oh, for… About you. About you and Ten,” he adds.

In the following silence, Hendery raises his head and sees Kun absolutely stunned. Oh no. Did he end up assuming it wrongly, after all?

Then he actually sees Kun flush and fumble with his hands.

“I’m— I— oh, was it that… Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Kun looks really upset now, and Hendery is regretting everything. “I didn’t want to weird you out. I didn’t… I’m so sorry.”

“Okay, stop. Cut it,” Hendery says, swallowing. “I’m not… whatever you think, I’m not weirded out. I… I mean, I’m…” his throat gets dry.

Okay, maybe he’s not ready to talk about that with anyone other than Ten. Even with Kun-ge.

Kun opens his mouth in realisation.

“Oh! Oh, you…” he laughs a little. “Oh. I’m sorry. But you shouldn’t think— I won’t be in your way.” Hendery is pretty sure the absolute confusion is evident on his face, because Kun adds, “I won’t… I’ll try to hide my feelings better. You don’t have to worry. You can… if you like Ten—”

“Oh my god,” Hendery exclaims, his voice ringing out a touch too loud after Kun’s frantic whispering. “I don’t like Ten! Where did you even… Stop assuming things!”

Kun stares at him, stunned. “Okay,” he says, unexpectedly meekly. “But… then…”

“Then nothing,” Hendery interrupts, suddenly extremely tired of this conversation. “Drop it, okay? I’m sorry for being weird and upsetting you.” He finishes his tea in one gulp — it’s good tea, after all — and exits before Kun can say another word.

Of course, it only takes a couple days for Ten to approach him. He actually corners Hendery in his own room, the bastard.

“Okay, what did you do to Kun?” he asks without a preamble.

“Why are you assuming I did something to him?”

“He said he’d talk to you, because you’ve been weird, and now he is weird, and it’s getting on my nerves.” Ten stares him down. Hendery puts his phone away.

“Fine,” he says through squeezed teeth. So _maybe_ he’s still upset with Ten. “If you want to know, I told him I know. About you two.” And then he adds, just for clarity’s sake, “That you are together.”

Ten stares at him. His eyes behind glasses widen slightly, and then he starts laughing.

“Oh, Hendery,” Ten says, putting his imaginary tears away. “That’s a good one. Me and Kun? Ha. As if.”

Hendery just stares at him, not stopping until Ten quiets down and regards him curiously.

“You don’t think..?” he asks, acting all offended, and Hendery _knows_ it’s an act. He knows. “It’s Kun. Come on. You know I— I would never.”

Hendery cocks his head to the side. “Actually,” he says, “I think you would.”

There’s silence as they stare at each other. Ten raises his eyebrows, and then Hendery sees his expression slowly soften.

“What do you know,” Ten says, voice flat. “You might be right.”

Strangely enough, Hendery doesn't feel triumphant the way he usually would if Ten admitted he was right. He just feels hollow and exhausted.

"It's him who wouldn't," Ten continues.

What?

He looks at Ten, who's all quiet and small now, and Hendery just wants to give him a hug. Dammit.

"What are you saying," he lets out, voice raspy.

"C'mon, Hendery. Kun is… Kun. You know. Even if he… well, it doesn't matter." Ten makes a face. "He wouldn't, not with me."

"You are so stupid," Hendery says, shaking his head. "You are literally the most amazing person I know, you're aware of that, right?"

"Did you just say those two sentences right after one other?"

"You know, I was… worried, before," he stumbles over the words, "but now I think that maybe…"

"No," Ten interrupts him. "No, just. Don't even think of saying anything. I— I can't. I can't," he finishes in a low, quiet voice, looking at the floor.

And it's not like Hendery understands — he can't ever fully understand, — but what he can do is stand up and bring Ten into a hug. So that's what he does.

It's quite unfair that it doesn't end there, because just a few days after he comes home late to some familiar voices being way too loud for 10 PM.

“They’re fighting,” Yangyang whispers over the screams in the background.

“What?” Hendery asks, stunned. “But they haven’t— they haven’t really done that since… I don’t even know then!”

“I know, I know,” Yangyang nods-nods-nods, “but they are. Wait," he raises his hand when Hendery makes a step towards the room where the shouting is coming from. "We shouldn't intervene, I think."

Hendery knows, on some level, but when he hears his name amidst angry Mandarin, his heart drops to his stomach.

“Wait, I… I think it’s my fault,” he says, looking at Yangyang desperately. “I should go and—”

“No," Yangyang declares, stopping him with a hand on Hendery's chest. "No, please, just let them… try." There's a plea in his eyes, and god, there's definitely something Yangyang is not telling him as well, but… man, he can never refuse Yangyang, can he? Can any of them?

"Fine," Hendery grumpily complies, shoving Yangyang's hand away and gets a bright smile in return, which is immediately interrupted by Ten’s hoarse but still loud, "Why do you even care?”

They stare at each other. Kun replies something, but not so loud as to hear it through several doors. Hendery can catch some words here and there, but he doesn’t want to make assumptions again.

They hang there awkwardly for a few moments, until there’s Ten’s voice again, and “Because I can’t stop thinking about you!” rings suddenly across the rooms.

Hendery and Yangyang look at each other in stunned silence.

“Wanna get something from the store?” Yangyang offers nervously.

Hendery nods, eager to get the hell away from the dorm.

They take their time. On the way there and back, they tentatively share some parts of what they know with each other, trying to put the picture together without betraying anyone’s trust. It’s… difficult, to say the least, but Hendery feels steadier now, more clear.

The dorm is quiet when they return, Kun and Yangyang’s room standing empty. Hendery stares at it rather desperately until Yangyang takes pity on him and tells him to take Kun’s bed for today.

Lying in it, Hendery thinks back on the weird conversations he’s had in the past week, on the way both Kun and Ten were so tense and awkward, and how much miscommunication there was, and how maybe, finally, it’ll be over. He breathes out, trying to let it go. He’s fairly successful, he thinks. Peace and quiet, despite Yangyang’s soft snores from the other side.

Well, at least until Ten gleefully glomps him the following morning.

5.

To say that Xiaojun is happy with the level of privacy he has in the group would be a stretch. He is… content. He doesn't pry into other people's lives, he doesn't ask unnecessary questions, and most of the time, when it comes to personal things, he’s also left blissfully alone.

So it's really fucking unfair that one nice evening he just walks into the dorm to two of his eldest members, his _brothers_ , completely entwined in each other and like. Preoccupied. With each other's mouths.

Ten is sitting on the fucking _kitchen counter_ , the place where they eat! And Kun is standing in front of him, and his hands are like, on Ten… Ten's...

Worst thing is, they don't notice him at all, so Xiaojun has to have an internal debate of whether to clear his throat really loudly or go back out and open the door with something like "I'm home!" — or maybe just walk out and never return, that works too. All the while Ten hugs Kun closer with one of his legs, hands roaming all over, tangled in Kun’s hair and sliding under his sweater, and oh god, that soft, whimpering noise just now definitely came from Kun.

Xiaojun takes a step back, then another, then a couple more, and naturally stumbles into someone’s shoes, left halfhazardly around on the floor. Oh, wait, that’s his shoes, but he only realises that while going down and desperately trying to grasp onto something, which turns to be a coat rack.

At least he made a lot of noise. He looks back into the kitchen and meets eyes with Ten, whose smug expression he could _punch_ right now. Then Kun turns back, finally free from Ten’s _clutches_ , and Xiaojun sees him in all of his debauched glory.

“Uhhhhhh,” Xiaojun says eloquently.

They stare at each other in mute horror until Kun mutters hoarse “sorry”.

“It’s… fine…” Xiaojun trails off and tries to find something else to look at — something that isn’t Ten’s hand on Kun’s waist or Kun’s stretched out sweater neck that’s not really hiding a hickey on his skin. Anything.

He finds a spot on the floor where Hendery had accidentally let an iron on a couple months ago and resolutely stares at it.

“I just wanted to say, uh, that others are on their way, and you might… uh…” God, Xiaojun just knows that later on he will be regretting not making an opportunity to roast them, but right now he just wants to bleach his entire mind, so nothing is really coming to him.

“Oh, it’s fine, they know,” Ten says cheerfully.

“They do?”

Xiaojun raises his head back and finds Kun gaping at Ten.

“No, yeah, they do,” Ten nods. “I think? Unless I’m forgetting someone. Well, I’ve never spoken to Yangyang, but the look he gave me a couple days ago was pretty, uh. Telling.” Ten looks bashful, suddenly, and that’s such a weird expression on him that Xiaojun wants to look away immediately, but then Ten catches his eyes. “Sorry for not talking to you earlier, it was very—”

“I would’ve preferred not knowing,” Xiaojun throws in and then kinda regrets it, but it’s too late.

Kun, meanwhile, slightly more recovered from the shock of it all, punches Ten in the shoulder, to which Ten responds with a yelp way louder than the incredibly light touch deserved. “How does almost everyone already know?”

“Uh, let’s see, Xuxi kinda figured it out by himself, I’m not so sure how, but ugh, you know how perceptive he can—”

At which point the door behind Xiaojun opens and the rest of WayV fills in, arms full of bags with takeout, laughing and arguing amongst themselves. Hendery almost falls onto Xiaojun, but Sicheng steadies him in time.

“What’s wrong? Why are you—” Xuxi starts but then they all finally see Kun and Ten through the kitchen entrance.

“Ughh, gross,” Yangyang says upon realising the state of their eldest members.

“Don’t talk like that!” Xuxi admonishes.

“It’s fiiine,” Ten reassures him, finally leaving the buttons of Kun’s sweater alone (ugh) and sauntering over to them. He pats Yangyang on the head and takes some of the bags from Sicheng.

“What about my bags,” Hendery whines.

“You’re a strong boy,” Ten explains with a snort. Kun sighs and comes over to the door, taking the rest of the takeout. They leave for the kitchen and Xiaojun follows them with his gaze.

“You okay?” Sicheng asks, and Xiaojun doesn’t immediately realise it’s aimed towards him.

“Yeah… yeah, fine,” he mutters, realising as he speaks that, well, he is.

The dinner is business as usual, except that Xiaojun tries to hard not to think about the things he now knows — the things that, apparently, they all know — because… it doesn’t affect him, right? And at the same time, it feels like it kind of does. He feels confused somewhat, struggling to understand what he should be feeling, if he should be reacting in any way.

It is, admittedly, like this sometimes — hard separate what he feels from what he thinks he _should_ be feeling, and in the end, it benefits no one.

“Right,” Kun says when most of them have finished eating, Xiaojun the only one still staring at the last piece of chicken on his plate, torn between trying to force it down or sharing it with someone else. “I have something to say.”

The table erupts into protests, mostly from Yangyang.

“Not listening!” he yells, covering his ears with his hands.

“Stop being a baby,” Ten admonishes, trying to pry his hands away.

“You haven’t had to listen to him lamenting his feelings for several months,” Yangyang retorts, which prompts even more shouting, this time from Kun and, surprisingly, Xuxi, who apparently wants to know more.

“No, but I would love to hear your version,” Ten manages to squeeze in between the noise, and Xiaojun honestly admires him a lot. As if feeling his gaze, Ten turns to him, eyes twinkling. “Please, share with the class, Yangyangie.”

Hendery bursts out laughing when Kun launches himself at Yangyang. Xiaojun shares a glance with Sicheng, who looks surprisingly calm. Ugh, god, he probably knows more than all the rest of them combined.

“Fine, fine, I’m not talking!” Yangyang yells after Kun accidentally (or not) splashes him with some sauce. Kun nods sternly and returns to his seat.

“I think I can speak for everyone that we’re really happy you two finally got your heads out—” Hendery begins, and the table erupts in overenthusiastic cheering.

“I actually wanted to talk about tomorrow’s—” Kun tries to interject, but it’s rather futile. He looks around the table and sighs.

“It’s fine, ge,” Xiaojun tells him later, when they’re cleaning the kitchen and Xiaojun is valiantly trying not to stare at that particular counter.

“You sure?” Kun looks back at him, gaze searching.

Xiaojun smiles and nods, watching Kun relax.

“I understand you must be worried… uh, about the group,” Xiaojun says before he loses his courage.

“Dejunnie—”

“But you don’t need to!” Xiaojun hastens to add. “It’s gonna be fine. And others agree, I’m pretty sure.”

Kun’s smile is slow to form, but warm and encouraging, and Xiaojun finds it very, easy to smile in return.

“Ahh, that’s good to hear,” Kun says. “And, um, sorry. Again. For earlier.”

Xiaojun nods, then shakes his head, and watches Kun laugh lightly.

“Kuuuuun.” Xiaojun almost jumps, but Kun just turns with a sigh. How the hell did Ten sneak in without a sound? “C’mon, let Xiaojun finish here.”

“I think you both owe it to me to be on the dish-washing duty for the next month,” Xiaojun says dryly.

Ten levels him with a stare, which Xiaojun has zero problems holding. Ten actually gives up first, turning his head slightly to look at Kun.

Yeah, Xiaojun might need some time to adjust to the way Ten’s not even trying to disguise anything in his gaze, but, well.

He can also just sneak out of the kitchen while the other two are too busy eating each other with their eyes, and leave them to the rest of the dishes.

“Hey!” Ten yells when he notices Xiaojun on his way out. Kun doesn’t even turn.

“Please remember that we eat here,” Xiaojun says with a little wave and gets out, steps quickening just in case.

He closes the door to his room and is greeted with the sight of the entire rest of the group sitting in a little circle.

“O! You’re right on time, Sicheng was just getting to the best part,” Hendery claps a little and pats the seat — aka some narrow space on Xiaojun’s bed — next to him.

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Yangyang grins.

“Please, I’m just trying to forget about it,” Xiaojun moans.

“Tough luck,” Xuxi says, shrugging.

“Besides, we need something to get back at them after all of this,” Yangyang adds. “Gotta plan.”

“It was Sicheng’s idea,” Hendery supplies.

Xiaojun stands there for a moment, then plops down onto his bed with a sigh. “Fine, okay.”

“Nice,” Hendery comments. Xuxi gives him a thumbs up.

“Okay, where were we… Brother, please,” Yangyang announces with a flourish and sits down next to Xiaojun.

Xiaojun sighs again, then settles comfortably inbetween his members and prepares to listen.

**Author's Note:**

> (shaking) I LOVE WAYV
> 
> this was written kinda hastily after i realised i was never going to write my initial idea, but i kinda used the scenes i had for it for this fic, so!! I hope it works. i've NEVER written so many POVs esp in one fic this was a bad idea djkshjdshkjdskhj
> 
> please comment if you've enjoyed it or have something to say!! also talk to me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/boldmoonwalk) or [cc](https://curiouscat.me/boldmoonwalk)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic of] people say (we're so weird)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27565420) by [the24thkey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the24thkey/pseuds/the24thkey)




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